Living economically

There have been books and books written about this, but there are some basic ideas that will help. Grow as much of your own food as you can. Whether that's a pot on a windowsill or a two acre garden, do what you can. Cook from scratch and cook real food. Stay basic; buy locally and buy seasonally. Don't eat watermelon in December and don't eat oranges in July. Learn to preserve food. Buy or grow what you can when food is in season so it's the best price, then can, freeze, dehydrate or put it in cold storage so you can have it when it's off season. When you need something, ask yourself before going to the store if you can substitute something else or if you can create what you need from something you have on hand. Learn to see things for what they are and not what you've been taught that they are. For instance, a clothes basket is a light weight, open weave container and that's all it is. It can be used for anything that needs to be contained while you move or store it. By the same token, a cardboard box is a light weight container without an open weave. It can be used for anything that needs to be contained while you move or store it. Think clothes, toys, books, tomatoes, files, etc. Go basic with cleaning supplies. Read up on what vinegar and baking soda can do. Learn to make your own laundry detergent. Turn off the TV and turn on your mind. Most of living economically is thinking about what we do before we do it. Put pencil to paper and see what things are really costing you. Stop the outflow of money. Revisit your insurance and see if you can cut the premium. Most people are paying too much or paying for things they don't need on their insurance. If your car is paid off, drop the full coverage. There are discounts for many things so make sure you take advantage of them. Shop the second hand stores and garage sales. They have perfectly good clothing (as well as some that is not perfectly good) and I've never seen a drinking glass wear out. There is a lot more but that's a lot to digest and I'm sure you'll get other ideas from others, too.

I have recently started trying to cut back on the amount of money that I spend on every day things, and have started thinking about installing solar panels on our roof. If we do this, we would not have to pay any energy bills at all in the summer, and the money that we had left over would help to pay for the winter. We have also started growing our own vegetables although we do still have to go to the shops to get some of them as we're only growing a few things at the moment. Hopefully in the future I will be able to grow many things which would save me a lot of money as I wouldn't have to go to the shops for them.

The first step is accept, and learning which you are doing. I try my hardest to be self sufficient and independent also eco friendly. I have my own garden right now, and limit what I buy during the winter months. I dont normally eat out, and buy locally where I can. I try to make my own items such as soaps, shampoos, and so on or buy from individuals that make organic natural products. Other little things such as air dry my clothes, shut off lights when possible, and so on.

It is better to live in a simple life, live to the fullest. I can still remember my translator said, life is short. We need to explore of what we wanted to see and experience.